The faculty of Humanities at “Tavrida”

Egor Saksin, manager of the faculty of Humanities and teacher of the Department of literature and intercultural communication, became a participant of the creative residence “Tavrida Lit”.

We asked Egor a few questions to find out how the most literary shift of “Tavrida” took place.

Can you tell us about the literary change of the festival “Tavrida”?

“"Tavrida" is a large-scale youth forum that took place this year from May to October in the Crimea near the city of Sudak. The last three shifts of “Tavrida”, a change of musicians, artists and writers, were held in the format of a creative residence. This format assumes complete freedom of action. In contrast to the forum, where all events are mandatory, participants can “skip” classes and engage in creative activities within the framework of the creative residence. Often there was no “absenteeism”, because during the literary workshops we received homework that we had to do in time. That is why it was often possible to see participants with laptops in gazebos with a view of the sea, because the sea and warm weather inspired creativity,” said Egor. 

How did you end up on the “Tavrida”? Was it easy or difficult to get there?

“The website of Rosmolodezh is a wonderful resource, giving the opportunity to learn about such events and to apply for them. In the summer, I found out on this site that “Tavrida” has a literary shift. I have been thinking about whether to apply or not. However, I finally made up my mind. In September, I filled out the application form, completed and sent a creative task. A week later, I received an invitation letter. Many participants thought that they “took everyone”, but, as the organizers told us on one of the days of the shift, the selection was thorough, and many applications were rejected,” said Egor.

What did you like the most about “Tavrida”?

“I liked the nature, the weather and the people. This year “Tavrida” was held in a beautiful area near the city of Sudak. Directly from the camp, you could see one of the most beautiful places in the Crimea, Cape Meganom. Besides, we were lucky with the weather. Despite the beginning of October, it was very warm, so in between lectures and master classes, you could have time to go for a swim in the sea. As for the sunrises and sunsets in the Crimea, they are wonderful. On the last day of our stay in the camp, we, some of the most desperate participants, stayed up all night and met the dawn on the beach. The sun rose slowly over the headland and turned the sky a bright pink. I think it was one of the most beautiful dawns I have ever seen. However, the most important thing, of course, is the people. All participants of the literary shift are creative and versatile individuals. It was very nice to meet other young writers and poets. At creative workshops, we read out our works and discussed them with each other. It was interesting to hear the opinions of your colleagues connected with you in one case. Also, to see your work from the outside, to realize your mistakes and shortcomings in the opinions of others,” said Egor.

What surprised you the most?

“I was surprised by the simplicity of communication between mentors / lecturers and participants. All the writers and poets who conducted the master classes were open to dialogue. Participants could easily approach and talk personally about their experiences and get advice. I was also very surprised when Anatoly Wasserman sat down at our table during lunch (this was an unusual lunch, since it was held under the open sky on the beach) on my second day at the “Tavrida”,” said Egor. 

How did Wasserman end up on the literary shift of “Tavrida”? Did you manage to talk to him during lunch?

“The organizers of “Tavrida” invited celebrities to all shifts. Sergey Garmash, Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Shnurov and many others communicated with participants of other shifts. Anatoly Wasserman was invited to our shift. He had a lecture planned for that evening, but he came in the morning to see the Tavrida and probably just rest a little. It was actually quite funny. I was telling my fantasy stories to a girl sitting next to me, and when Wasserman heard this, he said that fiction was his favorite genre. I was surprised and asked why not realism, because before that I was at a lecture by the writer Roman Senchin about realism. Wasserman said that realism in his opinion has outlived its usefulness, but science fiction has great potential. He then noted that his favorite genre is when a person from our world falls into another fantasy world. In the Russian language, this genre is called the “popadanets”,” said Egor.

What advice would you give to students of our faculty who write prose or poetry and want to get to “Tavrida” next year?

“Firstly, those who want to get there need to write. The creative task is that you must attach your work with a volume of at least 1 author’s sheet (40,000 signs). Accordingly, you need to have works of this volume. Secondly, do not be afraid to apply and test yourself. Even if it does not work out, it will give you an incentive to write more and better. Thirdly, even if you do not write prose or poetry, you can participate in a literary shift as a literary critic. In my opinion, this is one of the most direct and useful ways for a philologist to apply the knowledge he has gained. Especially since this year, during lectures and creative meetings of “Tavrida”, all the writers complained that the writer's main friend, the literary critic, had become an “endangered species”. Our students have every chance to correct this situation and join the disappearing ranks of professional literary critics,” said Egor.

Interview by Timur Khusainov

Photo by Alexey Sukhodolsky.
It is in the official group of the art cluster “Tavrida” in the social network Vkontakte.